The goal of my current research project is to investigate the feasibility of reducing the structure of protein domains to their minimal functional units. Alanine scanning mutagenesis has demonstrated that the functional epitope present in some protein- protein interactions is much smaller than the contact epitopes between two proteins. This observation has led to the suggestion that it might be possible to construct smaller protein-like molecules which could both mimic and interfere with the binding of the native proteins and be used as starting points for rational drug design and other medicinal chemistry work. At present, I am conducting extensive alanine-scanning mutagenesis experiments between the immuglobulin binding domains of protein A and of the Fc antibody domain. Use of the Computer Graphics Lab facilities in order to visualize the results of these assays in relation to the structures of both molecules, will be essential for developing a better understanding of what particular determinants are critical for affinity. Subsequent design of proteins and peptides with reduced structure and chemical constraints will also require use of interactive graphic visualization.